A study of 39 damaged seabed areas in Dorset’s Studland Bay found bare seagrass patches fell by an average 93.6% from 2021 to 2025 where 10 trial eco-moorings were installed; a second area with chain moorings until 2023 saw a 65.4% decline.
In the 10-mooring area, bare patches shrank by about 57 sq m a year, compared with 15.9 sq m annually in the second area. Researcher Kira Dunn analysed sonar surveys, historical satellite imagery and five years of monitoring data.
Studland Bay has been a Marine Conservation Zone since 2019 and a voluntary no-anchor zone since 2021. Its seagrass meadow is among the UK’s largest and supports the protected spiny seahorse and the short-snouted seahorse.
